11th May 2026
The Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill: turning a global ocean agreement into UK law
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
9th April 2026
The Gulf, Berlin and the Commission on the Status of Women: building global alliances to advance women’s progress
26th February 2026
Different Memories, Shared Futures: Why Inclusive Remembrance Matters for Serbia and the Region
18th August 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Future Chevening leaders in the making!
Our 2015/16 Ethiopian Chevening Scholars will be heading off to begin their year’s study at top #UK universities in few weeks’ time. This year we were able to offer places to 12 scholars (11 Ethiopians and one Djiboutian). Those who were selected fought off strong competition, making the final cut from over 300 applications. I […]
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18th August 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Why British manufacturing is so competitive
“I was astonished,” the senior Turkish contact tells me. “This British company got in touch to bid for [commercially sensitive – an electronic supply contract for a huge project] and it turned out that their product was fantastic! And a great price! I mean, I know you Brits are great at business services, architecture, design, […]
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17th August 2015
Diplomatic Uniforms at the Holy See
One of the quirks of being posted to the Holy See is that it is one of the few in the world where Ambassador and Deputy Head of Mission regularly have to wear diplomatic uniforms. It comes as a surprise to many that the Foreign Office has a uniform at all – unless they had […]
17th August 2015 New Delhi, India
Translating UK-India Partnership to Innovation
Later this year, we will be bringing a UK delegation out to India to visit innovation and incubation centres. The ‘Make in India’ initiative involves the need to promote innovation and entrepreneurs and we believe the UK’s expertise in this area could be leveraged to create more joint collaborations. To better understand our own innovation […]
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17th August 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Volunteering is GREAT
It’s been hot this summer. I’ve been getting out of Minsk to have some fresh air and enjoy the countryside. This has included visiting British volunteers working outside Minsk. It’s been great to meet them, because most are young people who haven’t experienced living in foreign countries before – except on holiday. I enjoyed hearing […]
14th August 2015 Toronto, Canada
Canadian science news: 3-9 August 2015
Trouble reading this or moving through pages? Check it out on Storify here: https://storify.com/SINCanada/canadian-science-news-3-9-august-2015 [View the story ” Canadian science news: 3-9 August 2015″ on Storify]
14th August 2015 London, UK
Freedom of speech is a right to be defended
One week ago today, a blogger called Niloy Neel was hacked to death in Bangladesh. He was the fourth blogger to be murdered there this year. I’ve been meaning to start my own blog for some time: last week’s events made me determined that I shouldn’t put it off any longer. Freedom of speech is […]
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14th August 2015 Islamabad, Pakistan
The glass is half full
The first week back from a holiday brings a fresh perspective and a new impetus to your work. While of course the day-to-day business of diplomacy goes on – as witnessed by the successful visit to Pakistan by the Secretary of State for Defence, Michael Fallon – it is a chance to step back and […]
14th August 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Culture matters: Scottish-Libyan filmmaking collaboration
One of the great pleasures of working in Switzerland is the opportunity to meet and talk with creative people who mix and mingle at this international cultural crossroads. It is an extra privilege that so many of these talented individuals come from the UK. This week I have been able to see some of the fruits […]
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14th August 2015 Dublin, Ireland
Operation ‘Trzeci Most in 1944’
Last Sunday afternoon I found myself in the middle of a field in the middle of rural Poland in the mid-afternoon sun. Want to know why? Let me explain… The Armia Krajowa (Home Army) was responsible for many vitally important acts of espionage and intelligence gathering during WW2. This particular story concerns the hugely important […]